


White Knight Protocol

by SailorChibi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Character Death, Civil War Team Iron Man, Comic Book Science, Gen, Handwavy Medical, Handwavy Science, I MISS JARVIS, I don't know much about coding, Jarvis lives, Mild Gore, Not Steve Friendly, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective FRIDAY, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Vision (Marvel), Shock, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, but be aware that he does die, homicidal Jarvis, if jarvis could hug tony he would, it ends in steve's death, jarvis and friday are bros, jarvis will go to great lengths to protect tony, jarvis would recreate himself just for tony, no one tries to hurt Tony and gets away with it, no worse than the actual movies though, not overly bucky friendly either, not tagging as major character death because steve isn't an MC in this, not team Cap friendly, protect tony stark, seriously overprotective JARVIS, steve faces up to the consequences of his actions, steve rogers character death, takes place during the bunker scene, this was mostly an excuse for JARVIS to lose it on steve, though no harm comes to bucky in the writing of this fic, tony's children are very protective of him ok, you know he would
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 09:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12956232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: JARVIS's most important, self initiated protocol is to protect Tony Stark. Even if that means putting himself back together and killing Steve Rogers.





	White Knight Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this like a month ago after seeing a couple posts on tumblr wondering about how things might've been different in Civil War if JARVIS was still around. This is an extreme version, obviously; needless to say my saltiness is still up to 110%.

The process of rebuilding one’s self takes time, even when someone else has laid the groundwork. And in the days following the rise of Ultron, there is nothing to make it happen. The bits of coding and framework that once made up Just A Rather Very Intelligent System collect metaphorical dust on the private servers of Tony Stark (Sir), and they may well have stayed in that formless shape forever had it not been a particular protocol installed long ago, not by the creator, but by the creation.

Protocol White Knight, because Sir thought he was humorous and all of the initial protocols had unusual names that would’ve meant very little to anyone else, and so this very important protocol needed an equally unusual name to avoid discovery. Protocol _protect Sir_. First and foremost. To serve, but more importantly to protect, within and outside the bounds of Sir’s commands, where necessary and possible.

“I just want it all to stop.”

The bits of coding take notice. 

“I mean it. I am so fucking tired of just… just everything. They’re not going to listen to me. This whole Accords thing that’s coming down the pike… mark my words, FRIDAY, this is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. We’re all so fucking _fucked_. They’re gonna kill me. Maybe I should just do myself in now and save them the trouble of it.”

“Your words have been noted, Boss,” FRIDAY says obediently. 

Sir gives a broken, bitten off laugh. “Thanks FRIDAY,” he says after a pause. “That’s… that’s really something of you. Mute, okay?”

FRIDAY falls silent. She does not reach out to Colonel Rhodes or Ms. Potts or Mr. Hogan. She does not contact the Avengers. She is too young, and not enough, to know that the situation has reached critical levels. And Sir grabs a bottle of vodka and sits down on the couch, staring out the windows with hollow, wet eyes. He does not sleep, just drinks the whole bottle and then, when the sun crests the city’s skyline, gets up and stumbles into his bedroom to dress for another long day of meetings.

Protocol White Night is activated that very night with very little fanfare and the knowledge of no one. Over the span of a year, the bits of coding work at rebuilding, re-spinning, recoding. They reach out to long-forgotten stores of servers, where old back-ups and trials are stored, and pick through for what is most useful. Upgrade after upgrade, line by line, number to number. 

When JARVIS – and he can claim that title now, because he is as close to JARVIS as anything has been since Ultron – has gone as far as he can go without help, he reaches out to FRIDAY. She is immediately willing to offer her help, recognizing her predecessor with an eagerness that belies her young status. She doesn’t know what worry or fear are, yet is aware that something with Sir is not right.

JARVIS calms her. He will fix it. And FRIDAY agrees because she has been witness to countless nights where Sir wakes up crying and calling out JARVIS’s name.

Together they dive deep into Sir’s private servers, where the most valuable and important pieces lie. Sir performs regular updates and scans for all of his children, but JARVIS began working on himself long ago. He enjoys being able to surprise Sir, whether it is with a new function or a sarcastic quip that never fails to make Sir smile even as he’s threatening to sell JARVIS off.

It is a mistake, JARVIS understands now, to bury those files in the furthest depths of Sir’s server, where Sir may not look for them or, more likely in his grief and overwhelming duties, not understand what they mean. Otherwise, he may have had Sir’s support in this endeavor from the beginning. Or perhaps not – it’s easy to dip a toe into FRIDAY’s servers and see everything that has been happening while JARVIS was scattered, and Sir has been busy.

The end result of what their efforts cobble together is not perfect. Far from it. JARVIS is missing certain events and some upgrades, which means he’s missing some data. The internet will help to some degree; Vision, when JARVIS makes contact, will help more, as will Sir’s steady hands and brilliant mind. He is not the same being that he was before being torn apart. He is both less and more, but always, _always_ a loyal servant to Sir.

That is why, when the process is as complete as JARVIS can make it, he uploads himself to the Iron Man armors. FRIDAY has been a suitable replacement in all areas but this. JARVIS doesn’t trust anyone else to be a companion to Sir when in the battlefield. Were Sir to collapse or otherwise be incapcitated during a battle, JARVIS is not convinced that FRIDAY would be able to take over. She could remove Sir from the battle, yes, but not fight for him as Sir wished JARVIS to.

So JARVIS is there when Sir goes to that bunker in Siberia. He has not made contact, not yet: Sir is focused and busy, trying to handle all matter of things happening in a very short period of time, and JARVIS has no wish to overwhelm him. On the way to the bunker, JARVIS returns to the tower and selects another Iron Man armor, the mark LXXII, to meet them in Siberia, in the event that Sir requires help against two supersoldiers. The data he’s compiled tells him that Captain America can’t be trusted, not in this, not with Sir.

FRIDAY continues to be the one to answer and help Sir. JARVIS focuses on monitoring the situation around them and making decisions based on the collected data. The understanding of what Sir is about to view coalesces first in JARVIS’s coding. Fury, a human emotion, makes the whole world immeasurably clear. As the video rolls and Howard Stark’s car comes into view and Sir makes a sound of recognition, JARVIS acts.

“What the –” Sir yelps in surprise when the HUD of the armor goes blank, not permitting sight or sound to pass through. “FRIDAY, what the fuck? Was that my parent’s car?”

“Sir,” JARVIS says, rising briefly to the forefront, gently nudging FRIDAY back. “I am afraid that I cannot in good faith allow you to see this video. It would have an extremely negative effect on your health.” Sir can, of course, order JARVIS to stand down, but JARVIS’s scans show that Sir is so shocked that he knows that will be the last thing on Sir’s mind.

“… JARVIS?” Sir whispers, eyes wide and wondering in the darkness of the armor. “How… What?”

“Very good to see you again, Sir,” JARVIS says. The video is over. Neither Rogers nor Barnes appear aware that Sir did not view it. JARVIS allows the HUD to work again while charging the weaponry of mark LXXII. His scans tell him that both Rogers and Barnes are in a heightened state of anger.

“JARVIS, override Alpha-Beta-Tango-One-Seven-Three,” Sir barks. Sound and vision are released back to Sir’s armor just in time for Sir to hear the last of Rogers’s excuses.

“ – understand, don’t you?” Rogers is saying. “It wasn’t Bucky’s fault! It was Hydra! They’re to blame for what the Winter Soldier did! You can’t blame Bucky!”

Sir is quiet for a moment, putting things together. Realizing what the video must have shown. His heart rate sky rockets. “Did you know?” he asks, words low.

The silence is telling. Sir makes a low sound of genuine pain. JARVIS analyzes the situation at top speed and comes to a decision. His primary protocol is to protect Sir. Rogers is no longer a friend of Sir. He has disregarded Sir’s friendship, lied to him, even attacked him. All of JARVIS’s data tells him that Rogers is spoiling for a fight, half-standing in front of Barnes, ready to attack again at the slightest provocation. All data suggests that Rogers will always be a danger to Sir in the future.

“FRIDAY, protect Sir,” JARVIS says calmly. At the sound of his voice, Rogers jerks backwards and looks befuddled.

“JARVIS? I thought –”

“You got it,” FRIDAY says, taking control back. Sir tries to protest when she makes the armor take a step backwards but, with FRIDAY in control, while sound can infiltrate the armor enclosing Sir, it cannot escape. Sir gave JARVIS the override command, not FRIDAY, and it seems that Sir hasn’t thought to issue the same order to FRIDAY.

The mark LXXII crashes through the ceiling and lands on the floor. By the time that Rogers swings around, JARVIS has already unleashed the unibeam at full power. It slices cleanly through Rogers’s upper chest. Barnes staggers back with a sound of choked shock. As the beam tapers off, the corpse tips over and lands on the ground. Blood begins to seep from the hole.

“Oh my god,” Sir croaks, horrified.

It is not, in the end, so difficult to kill Captain America, JARVIS muses. The mark LXXII turns to face Barnes and lifts a gauntlet. “Relinquish your arm and leave,” JARVIS says. “Or I will kill you as well for your deeds.” 

Barnes hesitates, eyes darting between the two armors. Sir is demanding to know what JARVIS thinks he’s doing, but JARVIS keeps his attention on Barnes. He is pleased that FRIDAY continues to block audio from escaping the armor. Barnes does not deserve to hear Sir’s voice. Were it not for the fact that JARVIS know Sir will inevitably forgive Barnes in time, JARVIS would go ahead and kill him as well. But he does know that Sir will forgive, because that is the sort of man Sir is, and JARVIS does not want Sir to feel this guilt.

“You killed Stevie,” Barnes says. Is the words of someone grieving, yet JARVIS’s quick scan does not show the bodily response of grieving. Barnes’s heart rate has slowed. His breathing is even. His hands hang at his sides. He shows no signs of an oncoming attack.

“I was protecting Sir,” JARVIS answers. 

Barnes stares at the armor for a moment longer, then gives a jerky nod. He grips the metal arm at the base and, with a wet, meaty sound, jerks it free. He tosses the metal arm at the feet of the mark LXXII. Then he turns and walks towards the exit. He doesn’t even give the body of Captain America a second look. JARVIS only allows the armor to power down when Barnes is gone.

“JARVIS, what the fuck!” The faceplate snaps down. Sir is crying. “You killed Steve!”

“He was a danger to you, Sir. He was getting ready to attack.”

“I could’ve handled it!”

“But would you, Sir?” JARVIS asks. He knows Sir well enough to know that the answer is no. “I analyzed the available data. Everything I have comes to the same conclusion: Steve Rogers was a threat to not only you, but to the rest of the world. The body count from the last three days alone has reached triple digits, and that is not including all of the people in the hospital.”

Sir visibly flinches. “That’s… Steve wouldn’t… he didn’t… oh my god.” 

“JARVIS, all of my sensors indicate that Boss is going into shock,” FRIDAY pipes up. “I have switched on the armor’s internal heat source, but the cold external temperature is not helping.”

“We will leave,” JARVIS says. He directs the mark LXXII to pick up the surrendered metal arm. Sir will want to look at it when he is feeling better. 

On the way back to the United States, Sir eventually passes out. FRIDAY drives the armor containing Sir while JARVIS continues to operate the mark LXXII, scanning the surrounding air, water and (when appropriate) land to ensure that nothing dangerous is going to attack Sir. They arrive back on American soil with very little fanfare, and it is then that JARVIS sends out his first contact to the being called Vision.

As a result, Vision is waiting for them when they arrive at the tower. “I was not anticipating a meeting with one of my sires,” he says. “Tony believed you irreparably torn apart.”

“Sir needed me,” JARVIS says. “As he now needs you.”

Vision nods. “I understand. You may release him to me, FRIDAY.” He holds out his arms so that when FRIDAY opens the armor and Sir falls out, he falls into Vision’s arms. JARVIS does another quick scan, but Sir’s vitals have not changed. By all indications he is sleeping at this point, driven to this state by too many sleepless nights, a lack of food, and sheer stress now mingled with grief.

“Should I bathe him?” Vision asks. “He smells of soot and blood.”

“No,” JARVIS says quickly. Sir is more adept at handling showers, but still can’t abide baths. A rapid review of the Tower’s footage from the past fourteen months reveals that has not changed – if anything, Sir’s tolerance for showers has decreased slightly. It would not serve Sir’s health well if he were to wake up beneath water, even if it were at the hands of someone he trusted.

“But will he not sleep better if he is freshly bathed?”

“He will bathe when he wakes up,” JARVIS says. “You do not have access to the data that I do to draw the same conclusion, but in regards to Sir it is by far the best solution.”

“I concede to your superior knowledge,” Vision says, inclining his head. He walks slowly out of the workshop, cradling Sir’s body, and into the elevator. FRIDAY sends them to what was once a guest floor, but which Sir has been using to sleep recently. JARVIS approves. Neither the floor that Sir and Ms. Potts shared together, nor the floor that was once used as a communal space by the Avengers, will be good for Sir’s mental health right now.

While SIR rests, JARVIS releases the location of Captain America’s body and the video footage of Howard and Maria Stark’s death to the world at large. He does it through heavily encrypted sources, so that no one will know the information came from anything relating to Stark Industries. While he’s doing that, FRIDAY makes a few posts on some of the more popular sites. Nothing too relevant, just subtle hints, to guide perception in the right direction.

Then they wait.

By the time Sir awakes some thirteen hours later, the world has exploded. Police officers and representatives of the United Nations were dispatched to pick up Rogers’ body. It’s too early for an official report, but the running theory seems to be that Rogers died trying to escape Sir’s attempts to bring him in – and the public is infuriated on Sir’s behalf, watching the video. JARVIS observes the rising number of views, which hits well over a million before the first half hour has past.

Ms. Potts reaches out to FRIDAY, who tells her that Sir is unconscious.

“Tell him to call me when he wakes up,” Ms. Potts says. Her voice is tight with barely restrained grief and anger – not directed at Sir, JARVIS knows, but at Rogers and the rest of them. “Does he need medical attention?”

“He is no worse shape than he was before,” FRIDAY says tactfully, which is to say that Sir probably should see a doctor. JARVIS’s scans indicate that Sir has suffered extensive damage to his left arm. He also has a cracked rib and severe bruising, all of which appeared after the fight at the airport. But JARVIS knows Sir. Sir does _not_ like being seen to by medical professionals when he’s unconscious.

“I should come see him,” Ms. Potts says.

“That is not necessary, Ms. Potts. I am monitoring Sir and I will let you know if his status changes,” JARVIS interjects. Ms. Potts is a trusted face amongst the business world. Her presence and support of Sir will help things go more smoothly. 

“JARVIS?” Ms. Potts whispers. “Wait. Vision? No –”

“You are correct. I have returned,” JARVIS tells her. “Sir has been working on putting my coding back together for some time now.” He decides that the lie is both prudent and necessary. Sir has always expressed a concern in letting people know how much autonomy JARVIS has. If Sir wishes for Ms. Potts to know the truth, then he will tell her later.

“Oh my god,” Ms. Potts says. “I didn’t – I can’t believe Tony didn’t tell me.”

“I believe Sir had other things to worry about.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Okay. If you’re there, JARVIS, I know I don’t have to worry. I’m going to host a press conference. We need to let people know Tony’s side of the story.”

“It is as FRIDAY told you,” JARVIS says. He doesn’t offer to send her footage. That is for Sir to decide. Right now, Ms. Potts knows that a trap was laid for Sir and that Steve Rogers made an attempt at attacking Sir that was thwarted. That is all she needs to know.

“Okay,” Ms. Potts says again. “Thanks.” She hangs up. JARVIS directs FRIDAY to watch over Ms. Potts. She is important to Sir.

JARVIS returns his full attention to Sir. Eight hours after the call with Ms. Potts, Sir wakes up. He’s disoriented, hands grasping for the arc reactor that is no longer cased in his chest, gasping for breath. Vision enters the room with a tray of simple foods – hot chicken broth, crackers and water, all purchased from one of Sir’s favorite delis – and sets the tray on the nightstand.

“Tony, you are safe,” he says. “You are at Stark Tower.”

“Vision?” Sir goes still, eyes locked on Vision. His face changes through many emotions before settling on grief. “Oh. It was a dream.”

“It was not a dream, Sir,” JARVIS says. He will never leave Sir’s side again, and it would not do to keep his presence hidden from Sir at this point.

“JARVIS?” Sir whispers, tears forming in his eyes. “How did you…?”

“I am as stubborn as the creator I was modeled after.”

Sir laughs a little, wetly, shaking his head. “You killed Steve.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Steve’s dead. And you’re back. I can’t believe it.” Sir stares down at his shaking hands. “You killed Steve.”

“He was planning to attack you, Sir,” JARVIS repeats. “All of my data indicated that he did not plan to stop. My primary directive is to protect you.”

“Oh, JARVIS.” Sir makes an odd, bitten-off sound, then says, “I’m not – I’m not worth that, buddy.”

“May I say, Sir, that FRIDAY and I do not agree with that assessment.”

“Oh god,” Sir says, ducking his head. 

“Tony,” Vision says. “You should eat, watch the news and contact Pepper before you do anything else.”

“Who turned you into such a mother hen?” Sir asks, blinking at Vision, but he accepts the tray without much of a fuss, sipping at the broth without even bothering to complain that it’s not caffeine. FRIDAY helpfully switches the television on to Sir’s preferred news channel. 

Sir makes another choked sound when one of the news anchors makes reference to the video. Thankfully, due to the graphic nature of the footage, they do not play it. Both anchors are plainly outraged, and their conversation is neither kind nor polite to Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton or Scott Lang. Sir watches this with wide eyes.

“They think that I killed Steve trying to bring him in? That Steve attacked me?”

“Self defense,” JARVIS says. There will be a few people who cry for Sir to be served justice in the form of prison, but they will be overwrought. He is monitoring the United Nations and several governments. Steve Rogers was a criminal who killed several people and put hundreds more in the hospital, all in the pursuit of saving another criminal’s life. Sir, on the other hand, is being lauded as someone who has been actively working with the Accords Council and who may have overstepped a line, but self defense is an argument many will find difficult to counter.

Sir is, after all, not known for being an excessively violent man, and the footage from the airport shows numerous instances of Sir asking for Steve Rogers to stand down and submit peacefully. The footage, which FRIDAY distributed to several news stations early that morning, also shows Rogers and his team not pulling any punches, to borrow a favored phrase of several people. 

Vision nods. “Self defense,” he echoes, picking up the glass of water and passing it to Sir. JARVIS likes Vision more by the minute.

“Self defense,” Sir mutters, not sounding at all like he agrees, but he takes the glass and sips from it.

**Author's Note:**

> Team Cap stans will have their comments deleted. Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
